Alliances

December 13th-9am

Cooper's POV

Walking into the conference room with all the rogue reports with me that I needed to review this morning. Dad didn't explain the connection between Lyra and the rogues, but he had a hunch they were searching for someone or something. I was the last to enter the conference room. Everyone seemed to be mingling with one another. I spotted dad talking to a man I did not recognize. The tall, long-dark-haired man caught my attention. Who is this person? I set my reports down on the table and made my way around the room greeting the ones I recognized. Young Alpha Mason was joking with Beta Chance of Evermane and Gamma Wesley Jackson of Silvercrest. I walked up to my dad.

"We will have to have a rematch sometime." the man said to my father as he patted his back. The salt and pepper-haired man was taller than me, but not by much and I am 6'3. He laughed a deep belly laugh.

"Of course. Did Isla come with you?" my father asked the man through his laughs. My dad finally noticed my presence, nodding his head at me.

"You know it. We never miss a chance to see old friends. Is this little Cooper all grown up?" he asked, pointing to me, then he put his hands on his hips and stepped back to get a full look at me.

"Yes, Alexi. He is taking over after the Yule Ball." Dad responded by putting his arm around my shoulder.

I smiled at my father and then at Alexi. Now there is a face to the name. However, he did not look the way I pictured. This man had to be about 6'5 and very muscular. His salt and peppered hair gave away his age, but his muscle tone said he could still fight like the best of warriors. I was impressed, and deep down wondered if he wasn't part lycan.

"Nice to meet you, sir," I responded, sticking my hand out to shake his. He looked at my dad, then at me and grabbed my hand, but instead of shaking it, he took my hand and pulled me into a big bear hug. Throwing me off a bit.

"You have gotten so big," Alexi said, stepping back from the hug with his hands on my arms. "Strong strapping young man. We must spar. Haha Yes Rhett my friend, we must all get together to spar and have drinks." He said, looking at my father with pride.

"Why don't Isla and you come to dinner tonight? And we can talk and catch up, old friend." Dad responded.

"Of course. -" Alexi responded before being interrupted by Alpha Judson, clearing his throat to get the attention of everyone in the meeting.

"Gentlemen and ladies, let's get this meeting started." Alpha Judson proclaimed to the room as he nodded his head to young Delta Kylan from Evermane, then acknowledged the other women. Kylan is a fierce and beautiful woman with olive skin, sandy brown curly hair braided. She is well known for her tracking and strategic fighting skills. Everyone expected the tiny firecracker to go on to join Silvercrest to be a part of the investigation team, but she is taking over for her father as Delta. The other woman in the room sat at the table with Alexi. She sat so posed with no emotion to be read on her face. She must be part of the Crescent Falls. She looks like she could take any man out with just one look. Her short black hair compliments her ivory skin, making her blue eyes stand out even more. She looks tall, taller than Kylan for sure, but I wouldn't doubt that they would be evenly matched if they sparred.

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Unknown pov

Watching everyone acting like best friends, not realizing how easily they forgot the war. How ignorant of them to not take it seriously? No, they are arrogant, with all these meetings and they still haven't figured out that they have created more enemies as the years have gone by. Looking at the younger generation that is trying to take over is hilarious. They believe they are invincible. Ha they don't realize their impertinent attitudes cause them to fall that much easier. It almost makes it not worth it, but who am I kidding? Taking these fools to their knees will always be worth it. Crescent Falls and Silvercrest need to be buried for their incompetent leaders, Niklaus Volkov and Tristan Knight. They will have their judgment day. This time there will be no mistakes.

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Cooper Pov

"Now, let's get the introductions over with, there are a lot of new faces and new blood coming into their roles in their pack. So we shall begin. To my right, you will see my son and the next Alpha, Mason. Next to Mason is young Beta Cooper, and most of you already know Beta Rhett. Alpha Chris, could you please introduce the members of the Darkmoon pack that are present with you?" Alpha Judson requested as he sat down waiting for Alpha Chris, the nerdy thick black alpha with his tall thin statue with dirty blonde hair parted perfectly to the side and his thick black, square glasses that made his brown eyes seem so much bigger, to begin his introductions.

"Yes, well, this is my daughter and my successor, Alpha Clarabell, young Beta Carter, and my Beta Corey." Alpha Chris said, pointing to each member at his table. Clarabell is a beautiful 5'4 woman with fiery, long red hair and green eyes with little freckles dancing across her face. She is eccentric, chaotic and sweet. Mason and I met her 10 years ago at the Alpha-Beta Youth Camp. Corey and his son Carter look like copies of each other except for Carter being lanky and Corey having a more muscular body. They both have dark brown tousled hair and brown eyes. Carter is more of an intellectual fighter, but don't get it twisted. He is a beast on the mat. What he lacks in muscle he makes up for in speed.

Darkmoon pack members sit and the Everman Beta Keith, stands to start the introductions of the pack, but he quickly sits down and allows the stocky, muscular young Alpha Elisei to introduce everyone, "Hello everyone, I am Alpha Elisei Maxwell. I recently took over for my father. You all know of my father's Beta Keith Preston. Next to him is my Beta Chance and, of course, no security meeting is complete without the remarkable Delta Kylan." Alpha Elisei said as each of the members raised their hand and acknowledged the room.

Then the Silvercrest Pack, former Beta Adrian, stood. "Thank you Alpha Judson for hosting. I am the former Beta Adrian and this is my son the current Beta Noah. Next to him is his Gamma Wesley and his Delta Jackson. "

Beta Adrian sat down as Beta Alexi stood up, "Most of you do not remember me, but I am Beta Alexi of Crescent Falls. This is one of our best defense strategists, Gamma Imogen. Thank you for involving our pack in the meeting today." He said as he nodded his head towards Alpha Judson before taking his seat. Gamma Imogen looked like she was ready to get to business, as the introductions were a waste of her time.

"Beta Carter, will you address the room with the concerns you have about the current rogue sightings and how they affect upcoming events?" Alpha Judson requested.

"Yes," Beta Carter responded, standing up and bringing his laptop to the front of the room. As he set up his laptop to the projector screen, he showed a huge map of the region with each pack land labeled and a cluster of Xs. "Alright, as you can see on the map, sightings of rogues have tripled, but the number of attacks are not consistent. I have been communicating with Cooper, Chance, and Noah about the rising sightings, looking for similarities. I have reviewed all the reports I have received and I do not see any consistencies or patterns."

"If sightings have tripled, but attacks are drastically lower, are we even sure this is an uprise? It could just be a migration following weather patterns and we are getting up in arms for no reason." Beta Keith interrupted. He looks annoyed by the topic, which is odd.

Marcus, what kind of vibes are you getting off of Beta Keith. I asked my wolf, hoping for some insight. Beta Keith seems to be acting weird.

I don't know. I can't feel anything. It is like he is trying to hide his feelings from everyone. I don't like him. Something about him seems off. Be careful around him. Marcus replied before slipping back into the background.

"It's probably best that you are the former Beta with that attitude, Beta Keith. Looking at the map. It's pretty clear that this isn't just migration." Gamma Imogen said, mocking Beta Keith. She stood up and started walking up to the board. "To me it looks as if they have been sending out scouting rogues to test each pack's security. Beta Carter, have any of these "sighted" wolves been detained for questioning?" She asked, studying the board as if she was putting together a puzzle with pieces we obviously did not have.

"Now listen here little girl, I have been fighting wars longer than you have had your little wolf. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to allow little girls to be leaders, but they obviously need their titles taken. Don't disrespect me unless you want to create a new enemy for your pack." Beta Keith shouted, shoving his chair back and standing up to smack the table in front of him.

"Keith, shall I remind you of the land you are on, and how you do not have authority here." Alpha Judson responded, looking directly at Keith without moving from his chair. The look of pure shock on Keith's face was funny, but everyone could see Keith was fighting to not go off on Alpha Judson for calling him out. "Now, if you don't mind Beta Keith and if you can pocket your misogyny so we can continue. I'd like to hear Gamma Imogen's theory further." continued Alpha Judson. He looked towards Gamma Imogen and nodded for her to continue, not paying Keith another moment.

"Yes, Alpha Judson. I think there is a goal for these rogues. Beta Carter, do you have a timeline for all these rogue sightings within each pack's territory? The number of rogues. The time frames. How long is each one in the area after detection? And more description of what each rogue looks like so we can narrow down if these are the same ones. Same group of rogues. The more details we have the better we can assess the situation and allow us to get into the minds of our enemy," Gamma Imogen asked as she turned from the board to look at the other members. She looked deep in thought as she walked back to her chair. Alexi patted her on the back and then looked up at the group.

"No, I currently don't have any sightings broken down that way, but that is definitely something I can work on. Breaking down data like this is slightly harder to break down without all the reports." Beta Carter responded, looking at me and then at a few others around the table.

"What if the rogues are not testing our security, but looking for something?" Delta Kylan proposed. This was something none of us had even thought about, but what would they be looking for and why? Why are they looking for something? Why now? What does it have to do with rogues?

"What would the rogues be looking for?" Beta Chance asked no one in particular. Everyone started to mumble amongst their packs discussing the possibility of what the rogues could be searching for.

"I think we should check back on security footage and all the reports to see what details we might have missed. " Clarabell suggested.

"What if all the deltas and gammas get together and review all the Rogue War reports? Have another group look through all the recent reports?" inquired Gamma Wesley.

"That's not a bad idea. Imogen has access to our files online. She can follow you to your pack and get started looking through everything with you, Gamma Wesley." Alexi chimed in as Imogen nodded along.

"Delta Kylan are you prepared to follow along with Gamma Imgoen and Gamma Wesley to Silvercrest?" Delta Jackson asked.

"I'll get together with Beta Noah and Beta Cooper about all the rogue reports for the last 10 years or so." Beta Carter announced, looking at me. I know my reports are late, but dang I feel called out.

"Yes, of course. I have the last 5 years here with me. I'll hand those off now and gather the rest. Say we can get together in two weeks?" I responded, hoping to placate Carter. I have already brought the last 4 years today along with the most recent reports to give to him. He is so impatient. He knows damn well we have been preparing for the Yule Ball as well as this meeting. We have already put the ball off once. I don't want to have to put it off again because of security concerns.

"The sooner we meet, the better prepared we can be." Beta Carter responded, obviously not satisfied with the delay.

"Yes, well, Cooper and I will have all the reports sent to you this afternoon. However, my son has a task that must be attended to. It shouldn't take him more than 4 to 5 days. Then he will meet late next week?" Dad retorted.

Damn, is he always this demanding? Dad asked through mindlink.

Yep. I told you he was demanding the reports before this meeting. He was only asking for the last year. So to appease him, I gathered the last five. I responded by giving my dad an annoyed look.

Cooper, Rhett, what is the problem? What task is so important? Alpha Judson questioned through mindlink, looking annoyed to be out of the loop.

Jud there is no problem. Cooper is going to get Lyra. Tallulah and Lyra had another fight and I needed to smooth it out as soon as possible. Honestly, it shouldn't take but a day or two at most. Dad responded as Alpha Judson nodded in understanding.

"Yes, Beta Carter, the reports will be ready before you leave today and then, by midweek, Beta Cooper will meet with the rest of the betas, gammas, and deltas to create a plan for the Yule Ball security. Then on December 28th we will all reconvene here at 10am to go over everything. Does that work for everyone?" Alpha Judson asked everyone. Everyone seemed to be in agreement. "Beta Noah, what security measures have changed for the Yule Ball?"

"Well, each pack attending will be bringing 50 warriors to add to the border patrol, as well as 10 personal guards for high-ranking families. The warriors from each pack will be sent to Silvercrest for extra training and security briefing. Then we will send the warriors in staggered sets to not alarm anyone watching the packs. With Delta Kylan and Gamma Imogen's help, I am fully confident this year's Yule Ball will go off without a hitch." Beta Noah announced.

"Good. Now, if there are no other topics to discuss, gentlemen and ladies, my pack has set up a huge brunch for everyone to enjoy downstairs in the dining room. Let's adjourn for the time being and if there are any more matters to discuss, please feel free to find myself or anyone else here. Thank you everyone for attending today's meeting." Alpha Judson said, standing up and addressing the room. Everyone gathered their things and got up to leave. I handed the reports off to Beta Carter and walked out the door.

Instead of going downstairs to have brunch, I went straight to my office to drop off the notes from the meeting and started to work on finding the rogue reports for the last 10 years. Finding the reports in our database, I started the printing process. It was going to take a bit to get all 362 pages printed. While it was printing, I began to look into the security files to see what details were missing. Carter is getting these reports before brunch is over.

I guess visiting Lyra doesn't sound like such a bad idea, now does it. Marcus said jokingly.

No, it will be a good little break. Even if it is just temporary. Lets hope that things go better with Lyra, and not like it has been with Carter. I said, praying for an easy trip.

Instead of going to brunch, I worked the rest of the morning and afternoon on reports going through the rogue sightings, breaking each one down. I collected the rogue reports for the past 10 years and had them sent downstairs to Beta Carter before brunch was over. Creating spreadsheets to break down the questions Gamma Imogen asked during the meeting. She brought up some intriguing points and things to better identify each rogue. I don't know why we didn't have a rogue database to keep track of numbers, sightings, gatherings and what not. It really would be a good thing to have it in place to prevent another Rogue War.

Maybe you should work with Levi. He is good with technology. Marcus piped up.

That isn't a bad idea buddy. I'll reach out to him now. I responded. Levi is training to take over the delta position for his dad when Mason becomes Alpha. Levi is an expert in software development in our pack. He created our packs cybersecurity and helped Silvercrest with their security system. Hey man, when you get a chance, can we meet? I have some work ideas I could use your help on. I texted Levi then put my phone down to grab another file to read.

Trying to get ahead of the files for the next two days, so I can prepare to leave for my sister's place. Dad should have just told mom the truth and this could have all been avoided. Lyra and mom would have gotten along, and then Lyra wouldn't be trying to constantly escape the pressures of our mother's expectations. But what is done is done and we have to live with the consequences. Looking at the guest list and the security each pack is bringing, I have to decide where everyone will be housed and go over the itinerary for the events leading up to the Yule Ball, then meet with the security team to brief everyone. I'll brief our pack leaders and then Delta Levi will meet with each visiting pack's deltas and security.

"Knock. Knock. What are you doing man?" Mason said, walking in and sitting at the chair in front of my desk. Mason is the next alpha and my best friend. He looks like a Viking warrior with his long hair braided and the sides shaved off and tattoos covering his arms. I've only got an inch on his 6'2 height, and he is a fierce warrior. He completed his bachelors degree in business management. He felt it would help with leading the pack when he took over after his father stepped down. He was driven to be the best alpha. He wanted to build the strength of the pack so he would not need to call on Silvercrest all the time. "Yo why didn't you come down for brunch? You missed all the excitement?"

"I had to get those records for Beta Carter before he blew a gasket in front of everyone." I grunted, throwing the file down and getting up to get a glass of ice water from the bar. "You want a drink?"

"Yeah, give me some jack on the rocks. You will never guess who found their mates after the meeting?" Mason said, annoyed. He has never liked the idea of mates. He always said they were a weakness.

"Really, what lucky couple is now in complete bliss?" I jokingly responded as I handed him his drink and sat back down at my desk. Honestly glad for the little break from the paperwork. I really need to get out and let Marcus run for a bit anyway.

"Well, Holten and Amelia both found their mates." He said, taking a drink from his glass of jack.

"Okay, come out with it, who are your new inlaws?" I said, enjoying his pain in the situation. He never let anyone look at his baby sister. Poor Amelia had to deal with Mason, Holten and then all of us guys, Levi, Nick and I watching out for her. She never really had a chance to date in high school until everyone went off to college.

"Alpha Christopher Montgomery's daughter Clarabell is Holten's mate. Alpha Christoper and dad couldn't have been happier about the match. You know it's great for the alliance. Meli's mated to that stick in the mud, Beta Carter." Mason said, finishing his drink off. He got up to get another drink. "Now the holidays are going to be a load of blah."

"Man, I don't want to find my mate. I have already found my luna." Mason said, stressed out. "I've got Willow. She knows what is expected of her as my luna. I've got it all planned out to propose to Willow at the ball."

"You know your daddy won't let that happen. He despises the old man Tyler. He isn't going to let you marry his granddaughter. Alpha Judson is a big firm believer in mates being fated and must be cherished." I retorted.

Mason was happy with Willow. They were in love and had been for years. His father knew and wanted him to wait for his mate. But his parents' relationship was great and all, but they were each other's weaknesses. When his mom was hurt, his dad felt every bit of it and would distract him even in a fight. Mason did not want that weakness. He wanted to train his pack to be independent and to work on their strength. Mason's brother was lucky to find his mate in the Darkmoon's alpha's daughter. Holten and Amelia would both be moving to the Darkmoon pack after the Yule Ball. The annual ball is held in hopes of the young finding their mates in the other packs and also to build friendships between the four packs.

"Coop, you, Nick and Levi need to hurry up and find their mates so that Willow won't have to do all the pack business by herself. At least Elder Tyler approves of Willow and I's engagement. He said we shouldn't have to worry about the council of elders disapproving of our union. We still have to go in front of the council to get their approval because neither of us have met our fated mates. I hope it stays that way. No one could take Willow's place. She is so perfect. I mean she is annoying at times because she wants everything a certain way, but she is nice to lower level pack members and she doesn't have any enemies. Man, I can't imagine life without her. I love her" confessed Mason.

Willow is a thin 5'4 foot-blonde-hair-brown-eyed girl. She carries herself with the grace of a ballerina. She has danced since she was 3 years old. She knows exactly how she needs to act to get people to do what she wants without being demanding. She is good at making people think it is their idea even though it really wasn't their idea. She was raised by her grandfather since her mother and father died when she was 3. They were warriors and died in the rogue war where all the packs got together to fight the rogue army that had been building up and wanted to take over as the so-called leaders of the werewolf community, but we don't need a king. We have a council that isn't like the European packs that are broken up into kingdoms. They have held on to the monarchy any way they can.

"What if Willow meets her mate? What are you going to do if you meet your mate? Man, you know fate has a funny way of screwing up your plans if they don't follow the Moon Goddess's plan for you?" I asked Mason. Man, if he isn't careful he is going to get his heart broken, or break Willow's heart.

"Willow has agreed to reject her mate if she ever meets him. I hope she doesn't go back on her word. I would be devastated if she left me. She is my love and no one else will do it. We may not be mates, but there is a pull that is felt by both of us." Mason said, running his hands through his hair, pulling on it. I can see he is stressed out, but things will work out the way they need to.

"Look, you need to get away for a few days. Let loose and enjoy some time away from the pack. Why don't you come with me to North Carolina to get my sister?" I asked him, hoping to get his mind off it. I didn't want Nick or Levi to go with him since they need to find mates or at least dates to the ball. We can't go to the ball with half of the leadership going stag.

"I don't even know why you have to bring her home. If she doesn't want to come to the ball, then don't force her. She is an adult and she only needs to come back for my inauguration so that she can pledge her loyalty to the new leadership once dad steps down. I don't see the point in forcing people to come to the ball to find a mate if they don't want to. Not everyone wants to find a mate and why force it. Let it happen like it does in the human world. You find someone you like and you date them and if it doesn't feel right you walk away, no one gets hurt, no reason to drag on like they are being forced to stay together forever. What happens if the Moon Goddess gets it wrong? Why should we be forced to stay together with someone we only want because our wolves say they are the person?" Mason ranted on.

I didn't mean to get him on a tangent damn. I was just trying to get him away for a couple of days. Let him have a good time and help me convince Lyra to come home. Damn. I didn't want to send him down a spiral. I thought.

A wolf without a mate is a lonely way to leave. His wolf and he must be at war about this. That is our whole purpose is to find our one missing piece. Our other half. Why wouldn't he want to feel that kind of love? Marcus ranted on

Dang man, I didn't mean to get you started either. Help me out here buddy. I need to get his mind off this before he goes and starts a fight with his dad again. I asked my wolf, hoping for some kind of guidance.

"So why don't you come with me and we can stay a few days? We can go out with Lyra to a bar or club or something and not think about pack business. Just let loose and enjoy a mini vacation and then we come home and deal with everything." I suggested.

"Nah, I have got plans to go out with Willow. Why don't you take one of the guys?" responded Mason.

"Yeah I'll ask them later." I said, looking over my emails to make sure I had answered everything.

"Hey, before I forget, your dad wants you at home for dinner by 5. Beta Alexi and his wife are going to stay for dinner with your folks. Well, I'm going to get out of here before I drink up all your jack." Mason informed me as he set his cup back down at the bar and walked towards the door.